I don't care what anyone says, these pictures just don't lie. The nay sayers are trying to call Fredericksen's decision a success, I disagree. These are the exact images I firmly believe Mr. Fredericksen needed to see BEFORE he made such a decision. Delmar, Maryland is a complete disaster. We have seen photos from Salisbury and other parts of Wicomico County. How anyone could sit back and pat themselves on the back because there have allegedly been no accidents is just plain foolish and IMHO very immature. As we used to say in Pool, "You Can't Beat Luck." In this case we're talking about children's lives and I for one would have never taken the risk. Not after seeing these images. How about you?
45 comments:
Bus driver said 4 buses got stuck this morning. Delmar schools closed, because smart people made a smart decision.
I took the backway into work this morning thinking that schools are running back roads must be okay. HUGE MISTAKE on my part. Ice and one lane is what I encountered on the back roads East of Salisbury.
Omigoodness I haven't seen alot of the side streets because I live off rt 13 this is horrible!
A friend of mine called the wicomico BOE this morning concerned because she lives way out on a back road that was in very poor condition. She was told that if the bus can't get back there it would be her responsibility to get her children to school.
school bus stuck on Morris Leonard Rd. this morning
I don't live on the ES and normally would not comment on local issues, but I feel that the snow removal process on the ES sucks. It a shame that your streets are in this condition after nearly a week.
I live in Baltimore Co, and our streets were clear by Sat morning, even the back roads.
Good thing you guys have farmers who are willing to help.
Clearly these roads are not safe for school buses, especially if drivers have not experience in the snow.
He's a hero! Just ask him! Today ain't over John. God forbid any child suffer due to an accident caused by ice and snow. Then you go from Hero to Zero John.....
Yes some of the roads are horrible--the state roads and county roads need lessons on clearing roads. They were driving down clear roads plowing this morning when there are some roads not touched. I think there should be a "liberal leave" policy for the schools. If you can safely get there, come in. If not, don't. To catch a bus you should have to get to a main road--so lives aren't risked. The kids have to go to school.
He cancels school for one inch of snow just for the hell of it but we have a blizzard he gets shook and calls all children to school.
He just does not make wise dicisions. Just because the road is clear in front of his house dont mean all others are clear.
i did not send my kids to school today. Better safe then sorry.
I'm not a Frederickson’s fan but I am a fan of education for my 2 children. Are the roads in some areas still bad of course they are but if you take your time and idiots use common sense the roads are drivable. The children in Wicomico County haven't truly been to school in since 1/29 the day and a half 2 weeks ago was a joke. All the kids are now at school with no issues thank god and school is where they need to be.
there was student and bus accidents right in the school drive in of Indian River High School. i sat for a half hour waiting for it to clear out. there was a little lane open to barely fit your car in. i had a 10ft pile of snow in my parking spot today. i just went home. its complete insanity to allow this to happen. if it was my car that got in a accident i'm sure not paying for it. Its a good way to get a lawsuit thats for sure.
and let's not forget the SIDEWALKS!! i saw children having to walk in the streets this morning! many sidewalks have not been cleared!!!
The decision to close schools is not solely Dr. Fredrickson's. He speaks to several people--WCBOE transportaion superintendent, principals, etc etc. He speaks to several people throughout the county to make the best decision he can. It's not an easy job.
My husband and I were watching the Baltimore news last night...and lo and behold their board of ed had an excellent idea. They sent all their buses out on a "dry run" yesterday and as they encountered roads with problems they radio'd in and the plows came out to fix them. Imagine that! I guess that's to sensible for the Eastern Shore...
He should think about others before himself.Oh wait-that would actually make sense!I agree with the comment above:He'll close schools for one inch of snow but when there's a blizzard and a foot of snow he gives a delay.It's not safe.Many roads are still snow covered and down to one lane.Some are closed.He should really consider reading some of these comments and think twice next time.
Have Fredericksen ride with a bus driver this afternoon. Or is he above that? That is what he said he would do when he became Superintendent.
Pray that these children and those responsible for them get to and from safely..Whats another day or two.Let mother nature melt away her mess.Good job Joe...
11:47 thats what Ive been saying for years. Locals think everything is so great here but they have no clue how good it CAN be till they live somewhere that actually has accountability and a level of pride above incompetence. Some of the ppl here are great but the majority are self absorbed and couldnt care less about the area. My observations.
To stay on topic, yes snow removal here sucks. Whats new.
It's time for the educated folks to stay home and the common sense folks to take charge.
The reason there were no accidents, is because the buses didnt go down bad roads. They left the kids standing in the cold waiting for a bus that would never come. Morris rd in Pittsville is one example. They didn't bother to call either to say they were not coming. I called the boe transportation dept. and asked if they would be bringing the kids home to these bad roads. Their response was they will drop them off where they think they can travel and they will have to walk from there. Well the bus drivers who do the morris rd route decided they could not come off of rt 50. That is a 2 mile walk for little kids UNACCEPTABLE! Also dont give me that I walked 2 miles in the snow when I was a kid. You also didn't have over 100 sex predators in this county back then either so shut your pie hole on that one!
Stop blaming the schools and start blaming the mayor and the county officials for doing an absolutely horrible job. Its been days and STILL some roads go untouched. Why are you not using your blog to call for their resignations?
The county government has no say in what the BOE does. Rick Pollitt could scream at the top of his lungs to Fredericksen and Fredericksen can laugh in his face because the county government has no authority over the BOE.
Finally someone with some sense. Thank you 12:20.
and of course none of this on MSM surprise!
hey 12:04 lets stop thinking outside the box.
12:20 You are so right on target! They dont look at the big picture! Kids walking that far is way out of line. Youre right about the sexual predators too! They are all over the place just waiting for an opportune time to grab a kid! Whew! Would this county blow its top if that happened!!??
I stand corrected !!
Okay , buses are not going down some roads right? Ya think they could have told somebody??? At the very least they could have held a press conf. or Dear John could have left just one more message in Spanish on my phone to let somebody ....say the parents in this county....that just maybe their kid might not get picked up and to make arrangements to get them there. NOPE!!! Surprise!!!Organizational skills get a "E" John.
Is it true that the county plows don't use salt? Anyone?
i live on Whitesville Road in the Pittsville/parsonsburg area.. north and south of me the roads are covered with windblown snow.. piling up to 8-10 inches.. my bus driver did call and say he would pick my child up at whitesville and line road.. he would not come down the road - smart man but i could not get through the snow to get there.. so my child is home with me today...
You forgot Marvel road in industry park. It has potholes and snow bumps. Horrendous.
the busses need to slow down, if the driver was looking she would of seen my grandson fell trying to get down the driveway but no she sped on by. so i thank the principle for coming and picking him up. my hats off to you mr twilly.
The idea of buses going out day before a possible all-day school day is a GREAT idea...why can't Wicomico County get it together!!?
I live off of Burnt Mill Road and New Hope Road. 8 foot wide, 2-3 inches of ice/snow on the road. Has not been salted and was plowed once a day if plowed at all.
Unacceptable! I know we are in the county (Willards / Pittsville) and that these roads are not "primary roads", but the last time I checked, I pay my taxes too.
These roads are primary to me as well as the others that live, work, and drive in this area. I could somewhat understand when the snow was coming down our lanes not be cleared or plowed, but these roads could have been salted and/or plowed during the past three days.
This has been one of the worst storms in history locally. However, at the end of the day, the roads department has not done the job they could/should have in the last 4 to 5 days. Mr. Pollitt, you live in the "country" but you can travel the main roads without having to get on real back roads. Have you been out checking to see just what is the condition of the roads?
I do believe that we need to keep our youth safe. But how long do they need to stay home? We have to continue our lives. Other states have snow for months and the youth still continue to go to school. The worse has past. Children are outside playing and traveling in this weather. We have to give some trust to our bus drivers and GOD. We must protect our children but I think we are getting a little ridiculous. Don't you think?
I'm telling you.....the roads crews done EXACTLY like they were TOLD TO DO {via the chain of command}.....1 pass no salt! There is NO money left in the cookie jar!
The photos of Delmar--the streets are much better now, after a day of sun, town public works staff salting and plowing town streets. Foskey, at the bottom, is part town, part county, and part state. Too confusing to even try to take ownership for.
At this point, all the complaints have been aired over and over. What about ideas for a better plan of action if this happens again, and it could. How much liability do the bus transportation companies shoulder? Is it feasible to put snow chains on the bus tires? What is the most cost-effective way to handle the removal of snow and to provide for the safe transportation of our students? What can the city, county, state, citizens and the BOE learn from this year's storms?
anonymous 4:04, I addressed that in another Post. The County needs to send a couple people from Public Works to seminars and or hands on training in an area that has a lot of snow. Learn their techniques and bring it back to Wicomico County.
I mean, they send crews of Firefighters half way across the country just to look at multi million dollar Fire Trucks, why not piss away some money on something worth while?
Sorry Joe, but the County does not send Firefighters anywhere to look a fire trucks. Ths City does though.
It's really unfair to show pictures of Delmar since they REALLY know nothing about plowing.
After reading these posts I am appalled at the conditions of the country roads they sent these school bus drivers out on! And thank God the poor kid who slipped and fell in his driveway did just that rather than under the bus. That is so scary! Hope he is ok.
Looks like the town of Delmar has slot to work on. You just can't keep trying to grow without a plan. Can't blame the county for these shots.
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